The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1999 THE NEW TANNER HALTON Police are testing this helicopter as a crime solving project. Halton tests helicopter as crime fighting tool By FRANCES NIBLOCK The New Tanner Does a police helicopter make you feel safer, or do you think you're being watched? Knowing they are "walking the fence on public support" for the use of police helicop- ters, Halton police are stress- ing safety -- police and civil- ian -- as they take part in a five-month helicopter project. "Tf we' re in the air and we have a spotlight on, we're ei- ther assisting ground units with an activity or we're checking high-risk break and pes! targets. We're _ up there ing on people in their hot tubs and fos looking in in jail Continued from Page 1 "very large way" to his credit. Kieffer said his client has analcohol problem and is will- ing to attend treatment and counselling at Toronto's Clarke Institute of Psychiatry. Assistant Crown attorney Susan Stothart asked for a longer sentence and noted the author of Unruh's pre- sentence report suggested he was a risk to re-offend. The report also showed the man "lacks insight or em- pathy" and does not appear to understand the signifi- cance of his crime, she said. The Crown also opposed al- lowing Unruh to serve his sentence on weekends and asked that his probation or- der include terms to prevent him from frequenting areas where children under 14 are likely to be found, such as public parks, school yards, playgrounds, swimming ar- eas, and community centres. Baldock also put Unruh on two years probation with or- ders not to contact the victim or go near her home, take al- cohol and sexual deviancy counselling, and not be alone with anyone under 14. people's windows," said Constable Jeff Corey, Halton's project co-ordinator. In 1998, the Ministry of the Solicitor General agreed to fund trial projects, partially paid for with crime proceeds, to test helicopters with mu- nicipal police, focusing on police pursuits and crimes in peer Halton is sharing the helicopter with Peel and Hamilton-Wentworth. Each force contributed $100,000 to the Proje woe the province put up $2 Each are has the helicop- ter for two days a week -- it's stationed at the Burlington Air Park when it's Halton's turn -- but is also available for cross-jurisdictional emer- gency mses. The com- pany supplies the helicopter, all of the technical equipment and the pilot. Corey said police pursuits Statistics are "way, way. down" from previous years and the helicopter has been used to locate missing per- sons, suspects and stolen cars. "People out there know there's a police helicopter working in Halton and if you' re going to steal a carand get in a chase, you're going to get caught," Corey said, adding one of the biggest success stories involved the helicopter being used to lo- cate a man who had smashed a stolen car into two police cruisers before driving it offa pier in Hamilton. "Our first-on-scene re- sponse is exceptional...we're first at a significant number of calls for service," Corey said, adding the helicopter allowed officers to locate and destroy $1.5 million worth of marijuana, much of it growing in swampy areas in rural Acton, last month. The heli- copter was in Acton twice on the first night of the fall fair, the first time to do a fly over. "We were actually called up there at closing time. There was a couple of disturbances and we used the light to as- sist the ground officers." The helicopter is equipped with heat-detecting infrared camera system, coupled with a daytime video camera with zoom-in capabilities enabling officers to easily distinguish makes and models of cars from an altitude of 1,000 feet. One hour of fly time costs between $500 and $700. The project will be evaluated in December. e Hypnosis Therapeutic Touc Practitioner * Reflexology Reiki (laying on of hands) Ear Coning Visualization Touch of Harmony The Art of Natural Healing $100 SPECIAL Makes a great any occasion gift Treatments tailored to suit the "hard to buy for" person! GB 519-853-1197 Since 1996 by appointment 18 Mill St. E. Acton E-Mail: jgrozier@stn.net Joyce Caldwell-Grozier, C.R., H MEMBER OF THERAPEUTIC TOUCH NETWORK OF ONTARIO t., THp. | Council Digest ) Gas gouging? Ward 2 Councillor Kevin Kuiack has put Town council on notice that he intends to ask for their support for a 90- day freeze on gasoline price increases at the next council meeting. Faced with what he said was a 20 per cent increase in gas prices in the past six months and escalating prof- its for gasoline companies, Kuiack wants the Provincial and/or federal government to set the price of gasoline in Ontario at a "reasonable level" for 90 days and begin an in- quiry to investigate the "un- conscionable increases" in gas prices. Kuiack also wants Council support to ask the Federal government to re- spond to council's concern and indicate what it intends to do about the problem. Delays settled The developer of the former Dominion Seed site must provide upgraded sidewalks, improved street lighting and street tree plantings in its subdivision following a recent Ontario Municipal Board hearing. The OMB ruled that Parallax Land Corp. would not have to pro- vide off-site bus shelters, plaques, and garbage recep- tacles as requested by Town planners. Parallax will build 190 townhouses, 120 apart- ment units, a commercial plaza with a supermarket, a Catho- lic high school and a park at the corner of Highway 7 and Maple Avenue. It will be spring before any houses are ready at Bradley Gardens. 3 The OMB hearing delayed the start on work on the site. Yes to expansion Town Council will not op- pose plans for an expansion at Norval Meat Packers as long as the Town gets some power -- by way of large se- curity deposit from the com- pany -- to ensure site plan conditions are met to resolve along list of complaints from the public about the abattoir, on Winston Churchill Blvd. Planning staff said the proposed expansion, which will double the facility, will al- low the company to resolve many of the complaints about the slaughter house, includ- ing offensive smells. MLM LL LUI hh DENTURE SPECIALIST E. JUREVICIUS D.D. onstruction & Fittings of New Dentures ss ~/ + Same Day Repairs & Relines + Free Consultations - Seniors Discount + Specializing in Problem Lower Dentures ACTON DENTURE CLINIC 16 Mill St. E., Acton 853-0079 si Achilles Motors Acton Auto Tech Acton Bowling Acton IGA Acton Musicland Acton Photo Shop Blooms Away Country Reflections TO THE FOLLOWING MERCHANTS for participating in our GRAND OPENING CELEBRTATION Double Happiness Personal Training Studios} | Forever Youngsters Power Video be GlenLea Drug Mart Red Dog Café Halton Hills Fumiture Super Cuts Holland Shop The Olde Hide House Home Hardware Lakeview Flooring Leathertown Lumber We would also like to thank the following SUB-TRADES & SUPPLIERS Grass & Groom Landscaping Halton Hills Electrical Contracting | Halton Hills Furniture & Appliances | Halton Hills Window Cleaning Lakeview Flooring & Kitchens Inc. Leathertown Lumber eS Halton Credit Union | 350 Queen St. Acton 853-0911 Fax 853-4443 Thompson Chiropractics Tim Horton's (Acton) f In order that our staff may enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday with their family we will be CLOSED MONDAY, OCTOBER 11,1999 12 Main St. Acton 853-1960